Giving a church member a black eye and learning the importance of having the right equipment
It is never good when a pastor gives one of his church members a black eye. Let me tell you the story about the time I did just that and what I learned from the experience.
Though I have never been that good at it, I have long enjoyed playing racquetball. My enjoyment of the game started early in that my home church had a gym that included a racquetball court that allowed me to start playing at a very young age.
In recent years I have enjoyed playing regularly with my friend Richard. When I started playing with Richard, it had been a long time since I had played, and I was very much out of shape and offered no competitive challenge to him. It had been so long since I had played that I had to purchase new equipment. Racquetball requires little equipment other than a racket, balls, and goggles. However, when I went to the store to pick up the needed equipment, I did not buy goggles.
Goggles are a frustrating thing to wear on the racquetball court. When you get hot and sweaty, the goggles fog up, making it hard to see. Between rallies, you often must take them off and wipe them clear. If the strap gets loose, they do not stay up on your nose. For these reasons, in addition to a lack of appreciation for the protection they provided, neither Richard nor I wore goggles when we played. Because of safety concerns, goggles are required equipment for racquetball. The gym where we play has this requirement clearly posted on the wall. More experienced players wear goggles. Despite all the warnings and encouragements, Richard and I blissfully enjoyed our weekly games sans goggles. That is until one day when everything changed.
One evening Richard and I were enjoying a good game. My endurance and skill had improved, allowing me to be more competitive. As the competition grew more challenging, we both enjoyed the game more. Richard was serving, and I was behind him in the backcourt. He served the ball into the front wall then it bounced toward me like a blue bullet. I have often struggled to return his serves, so as I stood in the backcourt, I was singularly concentrated on the trajectory of the ball so that I could be at the right place at the right moment to return it. As the ball came my way, I was only aware of its position and my own as I swung my racket to send it hurling back toward the front wall again. I looked up only after the ball left my racquet to watch its flight. In that fraction of a second, I realized that Richard was directly between the ball and its intended target. The ball was heading straight for Richard's head.
Being hit by a racquetball is very unpleasant. In the best case, when the ball travels relatively slowly, it only stings when it hits you, and the unpleasant sensation subsites without leaving any visible reminder of the collision. However, when the ball travels at considerable speed, it can hit so hard that it leaves bruising and a welp. Sometimes days after being struck, a red and blue circle bruise remains as a tender and painful reminder of the collision of the ball and your flesh. The most common areas to be hit are the back and legs. Being hit anywhere with a racquetball is unpleasant, but being hit in the face is especially painful. Being hit in the head is very dangerous because a hit to the eye can cause significant damage, even causing blindness. This, of course, is the reason why goggles are required equipment.
Richard had turned to see my return, facing me as the ball flew from my racquet. As I watched the ball fly toward Richard, I watched in dismay as it made a direct line toward his head. When it made contact, it looked like it hit him directly in the eye. He immediately fell to the floor, face down, and covered his eye with his hands. I was horrified. All the possible damage the ball could cause started running through my mind. Without seeing what damage the ball had done, I feared the worse. He laid on the ground for what seemed like a very long time. I did not know what else to do but stand by him and wait, all the while fearing the worst and praying for the best. I did not know what his eye would look like, but my imagination was graphicly alarming. When he finally stood up, I could see that his eye was unharmed, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Just above his right eye, Richard would develop a large swollen bruise. It looked terrible, and I am sure it was sore and uncomfortable for a while. Yet being injured above the eye was exponentially better than being injured in the eye. By God's grace, the ball had hit him just above his eye, allowing the rigid frontal bone to receive the impact rather than the fragile fluid-filled eye. We both recognized how close our foolish decision not to wear goggles had brought us to irreversible consequences. We have never played another racquetball game without eye protection since that day. And we have become goggle evangelists. When we meet with new players who, like us, have yet to understand the importance of goggles, we tell them this story and encourage them to put on their goggles.
Here is the lesson we learned that day; putting on the right equipment requires a correct understanding of the present dangers. Without understanding the danger, there is no motivation to employ the needed equipment. But once the danger is known, the required equipment to mitigate the danger is welcomed. Wearing the right gear does not remove the danger but allows you to endure it.
The Bible makes it clear that we are in a spiritual battle. In Ephesians 6:10-11 Paul instructs Christians to: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ignoring that we are in a spiritual battle will lead to forgoing the spiritual resources needed to stand firm in the Lord. Like playing racquetball without goggles, you will ignore the warning signs and assume the danger is not real; thus, the equipment is an unnecessary burden. But rightly recognizing the threats will lead to employing the right equipment that allows you to stand firm against the assaults of the evil one.
To withstand the devil's schemes requires the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. For shoes, we must have the readiness of the gospel of peace. In our hands, we must carry the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. On our heads must be the helmet of salvation. And through it all and at all times, we must pray in the Spirit. The armor of God does not remove the danger, but it allows you to endure the attacks, stand against the schemes, withstand in the evil day, and persevere.
The most dangerous moment is not the point of crisis. The most dangerous moment comes long before crisis arrives. The critical moment is when you assess the threat and determine the need for equipment. In spiritual warfare and racquetball alike, many will forgo the right equipment. In the calm, before the attack, many will decide that armor is unwarranted, too cumbersome, or unneeded. But when the attacks come, they will be unprepared and unable to withstand them. Putting on the right equipment is an acknowledgment of the coming crisis and your need for protection against it.
Today, in my gym locker hangs my racquetball racket. And hanging on my racquet are my goggles. I know the danger, and thus I appreciate the right equipment. I now would neither play without goggles nor an opponent who would not wear goggles because I know the danger. When Paul instructed us to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6, he did not say to put on the armor when we see the danger coming. No, he said, put on the whole armor of God because of the present danger. Putting on the right equipment does not remove you from danger but allows you to endure when it comes.
